The use of underwires in brassieres is well known in the prior art. Common complaints from wearers of underwire brassieres include poor fit, pinching due to the interaction of the underwire and fabric components of the brassiere, and the need to dispose of such a brassiere because the underwire has poked through the fabric encasing the underwire. It is an objective of the present invention to provide an improved brassiere that overcomes the foregoing and other shortcomings of the prior art.
A need exists for improvement in the field of brassieres that incorporate underwires and the methods for encasing such underwires and manufacturing brassieres using such underwires. This and other needs are addressed by one or more aspects of the present invention.
There are numerous methods for encasing underwires, and numerous methods for affixing such encased underwires to brassiere cups and/or the fabric belt of the brassiere. Regardless of the methods used, there is a tendency for the ends of the underwire to poke through the encasing fabric and for the underwire to break the stitching that keeps the underwire encased. While the cups and belt of such a brassiere may remain in wearable condition, the damage caused by the underwire often causes the wearer to discard the brassiere prematurely.
Typical prior art underwires are sewn into a brassiere after the remainder of the brassiere is assembled. That is, the fabric belt is typically assembled first, the cups (if separate) are sewn in next, and then a sandwich comprising a layer of lining fabric, an underwire, and a backing fabric are sewn to the fabric belt. The sewing starts with a bar-tack at the top (shoulder strap attachment point) of the belt, and then the sandwich is stitched to the bottom of the belt and a cup using a double needle sewing machine. The stitching proceeds towards the center of the belt.
The above sewing means results in several points where the finished garment is fairly thick due to the number of fabric components and the number of stitching operations. This can create bulges and inflexible fabric bunching, which can be unsightly and uncomfortable for the wearer. It is therefore an objective of the present invention to minimize the number of sewing operations to minimize cost, reduce fabric waste, and allow for the manufacture of brassieres that are more attractive and more comfortable. Prior art underwires are also prone to poke through the fabric encasement due to the interaction of the underwire, its encasing fabric, and the related stitching, as the wearer's breasts move during normal motion. Such movement can cause the underwire to abrade the encasing fabric and stitching, eventually causing the encasement to fail and the underwire to poke through. The uncovered end of the underwire can be very uncomfortable for the wearer and can create unsightly bulges under the wearer's clothing. The result is that the wearer typically will discard an otherwise useable brassiere. The encased underwire of the present invention is encased in a fabric enclosure or tube, said tube being closed longitudinally with a single stitched edge, prior to assembly with the remaining components of a brassiere.
An objective of the present invention is to provide an underwire that is fully encased in a fabric enclosure as a separate assembly. The encased underwire of the present invention may have a fabric extension or tab at each end that can be easily sewn in to the top or center of a brassiere belt. It is a further objective of the present invention to provide an encased underwire that is sealed at each end, thereby eliminating the need to bar-tack the ends to the belt of a brassiere belt.
It is a further objective of the present invention to provide an encased underwire that can be sewn into the belt of a brassiere starting from the center and ending at the back.